Truth is what stands
the test of experience. uote
-Albert Einstein
Mariet quietly stood and left the interrogation room.
“I’ll be right out,” the defense attorney said.
Mariet opened the door and passed from the interrogation room into the hallway of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. He was destined for a lot more time in the justice system’s corridors.
The veteran defense attorney was on the other side of the closed door, in the interrogation room with the two detectives, alone.
Six years later the detectives would remember like yesterday what defense attorney William Gagen said ne`t.
“I kind of see the train running,” the defense attorney said, “And I think we’re on the tracks.”
What did he mean by that train analogy?
Stevenson had no idea of this at that time, but when it was time to celebrate this case her partner would buy her a toy train.
With Mariet out of earshot, she gave the defense attorney a more accurate timeline. She said, “I’ll know something probably in July…”
“I’ve been doing this long enough to know probabilities…,” the defense attorney said. “And this is a very unusual case… He has had ample opportunity to split … It almost surprised me … There’s no inclination to do that.”
But, Stevenson pointed out, Mariet had never been to jail.
Wright spoke up for one of the few times in the entire interview. He said they had to face the possibility that Mariet could run at any minute to South America. Or, God forbid, they could face their own little “O. J.” chase.
The defense attorney reiterated that Mariet would not run from justice.
It was 2:32 p.m.
Stevenson took her vacation. When she returned, she called the defense attorney and said it was time to arrest Mariet on three counts of murder and arson. He did not try to run. He voluntarily turned himself in, turning his fate over to judge and jury.
The next time Stevenson returned to her desk and looked at that Polaroid of Tess and her son, she could look at the caption her partner had written on the white border and say to herself with confidence that she had found that monster who had killed MoMo and his mommy.
